Also known as Holy Thursday, Maundy Thursday has been celebrated since the earliest days of the Christian Church.
It commemorates Jesus’ last supper with his disciples and the institution of the Lord’s Supper and established the ceremony known as the Eucharist. The night of Maundy Thursday is the night on which Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Holy Thursday is called Maundy Thursday from the old Latin name for the day, “Dies Mandatum,” i.e. “the day of the new commandment” referring to the command given by Christ at the Last Supper, that we should love one another, before he washed the feet of his disciples.
Preceding Good Friday, it also played a role in rural customs. A popular assumption is that it is called “green” Thursday because of the green vegetables, people eat on this Fastday, spinach being a favorite. In Germany, the tradition is to eat a big fresh salad, or anything green, like these amazing eggs in green Frankfurter sauce.
